Services

Anniversary of the Battle of Polygon Wood, a First ANZAC component within the third battle of Ypres that cost 5,770 Australian lives. The name is derived from a young plantation forest that lay along the First ANZAC axis of advance.

On 25 September 1917, Australian troops of the 15th Brigade, while prepared for the upcoming operation, successfully fended off a German attack south of their position. However, their advance the next day began with uncertainty to the security of their flank.

The British and dominion advance began at dawn on the 26th, with the 4th and 5th Divisions on the left and right of First ANZAC respectively. The infantry advanced behind a heavy artillery barrage and they secured most of their objectives without difficulty. To the south, the 15th Brigade, now reinforced by two battalions from the 8th, secured not only its own objectives but those allocated to the neighboring 98th British Brigade. The Germans launched several counter-attacks but these were thwarted by the heavy defensive artillery barrages.

The Australian Commando Association (Victoria) will hold their annual pilgrimage to the Shrine on the last Sunday of September, marking the establishment of the Commando cairn at Tidal River (Wilson’s Promontory), birthplace of the Australian Commandos.

Victorian Commando veterans and their families unable to attend the cairn at Tidal River mark their special occasions at their memorial tree on the Shrine Reserve.

The Totally and Permanently Incapacitated Ex-Servicemen & Women's Association of Victoria was formed in 1926, providing welfare, advocacy, benefits and concessions to members of the veteran community.

October contains several significant dates relating to Australian involvement in the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean War. These include:

31 October 1917: Battle of Beersheba
The 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade executed a successful mounted charge against entrenched Turkish forces at Beersheba. By defying prevailing military doctrine which held that rapid-fire weapons had signaled the end of the mounted warrior, the Australian Light Horse struck the decisive blow at the Battle of Beersheba and secured a place in military history.

1 October 1918: Capture of Damascus
The Australian Light Horse captured Damascus in Syria, in the final act of a long campaign to defeat the Turkish and German forces in the Middle East.

23 October 1942: Battle of El Alamein
The Battle of El Alamein in the Western Desert is considered one of the turning points of the Second World War. All three Australian services were involved in this action. RAN ships escorted supplies and troops for the attack from across the Empire to Egypt whilst RAAF aircraft were involved in ground attacks, anti-shipping strikes and provided fighter cover for the Allied advance. In the Army the 9th Division, famed for its defence of Tobruk in 1941, was one of the best performed Allied units of the campaign, taking several key positions during the battle and inflicting heavy casualties on Afrika Korps forces.

3-8 October 1951: Battles of Maryang San & Kowang San
Australian infantry made a successful attack on Chinese positions in Korea, taking and holding two crucial hills in the face of fierce opposition.

The regiment served in the Middle East, Papua New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies during the Second World War.